Case Study: New Look: Extending returns due to the lockdowns – Research Articles

New Look has extended its returns period to counter slower post

New Look has extended its free returns policies for both online and instore purchases during the pandemic. Customers who have bought items since 15 October 2020 now have until 31 March 2021 to return them, so long as they have a valid receipt, order number or dispatch note. This is beyond the 28 days offered by retailers in this research.

The caveat is that New Look warns that returns are taking longer to process due to the need to hold returned parcels for 48 hours before processing. It therefore advises customers to allow up to 15 working days for their refund. Goods can be returned instore (when open) or via Collect+, Royal Mail and InPost. New Look offers a range of ways for shoppers to receive their goods, including five delivery options in addition to collection services. Its delivery services include next-day and nominated-day courier services, as well as several Royal Mail options. Next-day delivery is free with a £65 spend or with the company’s delivery pass. Free standard delivery is offered on a £25 spend but was also on offer for 99p at the time of writing. Delivery options and expected date of delivery are confirmed before the customer checks out.

The website has a clearly labelled help centre which aims to answer common customer queries such as returns. It also offers a range of ways in which the customer can get in touch, including chat, phone, tweet or Facebook Messenger. New Look notes that customers emailing for help could have to wait a week for a reply and encourages customers to use the company’s Chat team.

Clothing is displayed in images taken from various angles, both on models and stand-alone. The site highlights how many people are currently looking at each product and how many of that item have sold. Items can be added to a saved list or shopping basket and can be complemented with a ‘shop the look’ option.

New Look’s autocomplete search functionality is highly effective, with searches filtered by style, fit, size, brand, colour and price.